Money and Marriage
by Rea3
Summary: Lex has to marry someone before his father dies, and that girl is Chloe Sullivan.
1. Chapter one

Disclaimer – Nothing. Not mine at all.  
  
AN. – This is totally AU. Lex and Chloe have never met.  
  
Chloe tapped her fingers slowly on the counter while she held a coffee pot in her other hand. She gazed tiredly across the room trying to see if anyone needed a refill, but the few people who were there seemed to be finished and ready to go. Chloe sighed and lay the coffee pot on the counter. It had been a long and tiring night and to make it worse, she hadn't gotten any tip. Working part time at this cafe was the last thing she wanted, but she needed the money to pay for her apartment and studies. She was already two weeks behind with her apartment, and she knew if she didn't pay the rent soon her landlord would kick her out. Sometimes she regretted leaving Smalville. If she didn't leave, her life would of been so much easier and she wouldn't be living the way she did now. But she made a choice. A choice to earn her own living, to take care of herself. She remembered how proud of herself she was when she got on the bus to Metropolis and waved good bye to her love ones. She was so sure she would make it in Metropolis and in the beginning everything seemed to go the right way for her. But sending money to her father every month, and trying to pay the rent with a lousy job as a waitress, wasn't good at all. And if that wasn't enough she had to pay for her own studies. Her parents insisted on paying for her studies, but she refused. She didn't want to live off her parents money and not be able to support herself.  
  
Chloe snapped out of her thoughts as a tall handsome man entered through the door. He sat down at one of the table near the window and placed his suitcase gently on the table. Opening it, he reached for a piece of paper and a pen. He shook his head as he signed it.  
  
Chloe smiled softly as she approached him with the coffee pot and was about to pour him some coffee. But he cupped his hand over the cup and shook his head. He looked up and their eyes met for a short moment before he smiled and gazed away.  
  
"I'll just have a glass of ice tea", he said dryly.  
  
Chloe nodded and felt a blush coming. She hurried towards the counter and grabbed a pot of ice tea from the fridge, but stopped as she heard a female voice behind her.  
  
"Why are you blushing?"  
  
Chloe turned around and met a familiar face. It was Cathie Saul, her co- worker and friend.  
  
"I'm not blushing" she trailed off. "It's just warm in here".  
  
Cathie laughed out loud. "Who is he?" she asked and pointed at the same man sitting beside the window.  
  
Chloe swallowed hard. "How should I know?"  
  
"Be real Chloe. I saw you talking to him and when you came to get the ice tea you were blushing" Cathie teased.  
  
"I'm not blushing", Chloe said and started walking back towards the man.  
  
"You're blushing Chloe Sullivan", Cathie yelled after her.  
  
She ignored Cathie's last comment and clutched the pot harder between her fingers. She grabbed a glass and poured the ice tea into it. The man was now putting the piece of paper and the pen back into the suitcase. He looked quite handsome where he was sitting. His facial features were incredibly defined – his jaw strong, his eyes intense, and cheeks sunken. And he wore an elegant suit that fitted him perfectly. He was indeed handsome and very sexy, Chloe thought.  
  
Placing the glass on the table, she smiled shyly.  
  
"If you want anything else you can just call for me" , she offered.  
  
The man nodded. "If it isn't any problem, can you just leave the ice tea here?"  
  
Before she could answer, a young boy ran into her, knocking her over. The ice tea left her hands and landed on the mans white shirt. He rose quickly and it looked like he was about to yell at her, but he sat down beside her and gazed deeply into her eyes.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked with a concerned look on his face. "Does it hurt anywhere?"  
  
She tucked her hands around his arm and tried to pull herself up, but a string of pain shot through her leg making her scream.  
  
"Yeah, it hurts right here", she said and pointed at her ankle.  
  
The door behind the counter opened and Chloe's boss came out. His face fell momentarily when he saw her on the floor with her feet in her hands.  
  
"What the hell happened?" he yelled as he approached a hurting Chloe. "Get up and get to work. We have a lot of customers waiting for their orders".  
  
She nodded quickly and pulled herself off the floor. She grimaced as pain shot through her ankle again. A hand grabbed her arm gently as she was about to walk back to the counter. It was the handsome man.  
  
"Excuse me, can't you see that she's hurting?" he said and clenched his fists firmly.  
  
"So I see, but that's not my fault is it?" he retorted with a smile. "It's her own fault she's so clumsy".  
  
She watched as the two men argued. Sometimes Lou, her boss, could be a real bastard.  
  
"It wasn't her fault. A little child bumped into her making her fall and sprain her ankle". The man said.  
  
Chloe noticed his jaw tightened and he kept clutching his fists. Who was this man? They didn't even know each other and still he stood out for her.  
  
"Chloe are you just going to stand there? Get back to work." Lou said loudly making her heart skip a beat. She nodded quickly.  
  
"No she not going back to work", the man exclaimed. Chloe looked surprised at him. What was he doing? She couldn't afford making Lou mad and she couldn't afford losing her job.  
  
Lou breathed deeply, trying to remain calm. Then he gazed at her with an angry look.  
  
"Chlo, are you going back to work or not?"  
  
Chloe glanced at the man next to her. He had an intense look in his eyes and he seemed to be angry as hell. Then she turned to face Lou again.  
  
"Yes…I am", she hesitated.  
  
"No you're not. I'm not letting you work for this ass of a man", he protested.  
  
Chloe shook her head. " You don't understand…I h.." she was able to say before the man lifted her up into his arms, and strolled slowly towards the exit. She could see Lou standing there with his mouth open and banging his hands on the table in anger. She couldn't help but smile as she was carried out of the cafe by this handsome mysterious man. 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note – Still totally AU. I started a petition for Chloe and Lex, so please go and sign it. Here's the link. http://www.petitiononline.com/Chlex/petition.html  
  
"Let me down" Chloe yelled as she tried to break free from his arms.  
  
He carried her across the street as she kept hitting him on the shoulders. "It's going to hurt even more if I let you down", he said and smirked.  
  
"I don't fucking care. Let me down", she retorted angrily.  
  
"Are you sure?" he laughed. "You're going to regret it".  
  
Chloe beamed him a cold look. "If you don't let me down right now Mr., I'm going to come after you with an axe and chop your body apart".  
  
"I guess I'll just have to keep carrying you then, cause I really don't want to be hunted with an axe".  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Is that a lousy attempt to be funny?" she asked dryly. "Cause you're not funny at all".  
  
He smiled as he let her down beside a black Porsche. She yelped as the pain struck, not only through her ankle, but through her whole leg. Jen instantly felt dizzy and had to lean herself against the car to hold herself up. The man curled an arm around her waste and glanced at his clock.  
  
"We have to get you to a doctor", he said concerned.  
  
"No I'm fine. I just want to go home". Chloe shook her head and made her way past him, her left ankle hurting as hell.  
  
"Come on, let me help you", he offered and walked up to catch her.  
  
"Haven't you done enough?" she said coldly.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked confused.  
  
"You got me fired", she mouthed. "I really needed the money. Now I'll probably get kicked out of my apartment, cause now I can't pay the rent. And you know what?" she paused. "It's all your fault"  
  
He was taken aback. He had done what he thought was right, but had only caused a problem. Now a young woman would probably be homeless, and it was indeed his fault.  
  
"I didn't know that", he managed to say. "I'm really sorry".  
  
"You don't have to say you're sorry" she inhaled deeply.  
  
"At least let me drive you home" he said softly. "I won't bite or anything…I promise".  
  
Chloe studied him closely. For all she knew, he could be a psychopath killer. If she let him drive her home, he could kidnap her and rape her and then dump her somewhere no one would find her.  
  
"I'm not a psychopath and I'm sure not going to hurt you", he said as if he'd read her mind.  
  
She stroke a string of hair from her face and let out a sigh. "What's your name?"  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"What's your name", she repeated. "I want to know the name of the man who's going to drive me home".  
  
A smirk formed itself across his face. "I'm Lex Luthor".  
  
She cocked an eyebrow. "You have to be a psychopath with that name".  
  
Lex laughed at her words. "Well, I'm not", he reassured her and lifted her up into his arms again.  
  
Chloe yelped out loudly, but couldn't help but to smile as he carried her to his car.  
  
  
  
The drive to Chloe's apartment, which only took five minutes, seemed like hours. Lex had asked her lots of questions about why she kept working with an ass like Lou. She then answered dryly that she needed the cash to pay for her studies and apartment. She also told him that she worked at the cafe at nights and that she sometimes worked at the library. But both jobs hadn't given her enough payment to live on. Day after day after day, she worked her ass off and she never had the time to go out and relax with her friends. Instead she went home to her apartment and studied psychology. Yes she was miserable, but she would never admit it.  
  
As they reached the building Lex looked rather worried. He helped her out of the car and carried her up the stairs. Chloe offered to walk, but he insisted on carrying her. He didn't think she lived in this hole, the worst place in Metropolis. There always happened terrible things here like murders, rapes and other criminal things. This was a place for people with not so much money and that description fitted Chloe perfectly. But still he couldn't believe that this young and innocent woman lived in such a horrible place. God only knew when and if she would be attacked and hurt by a crazy maniac.  
  
"You actually live here?" Lex questioned.  
  
Chloe nodded slightly as she searched her purse for the keys. "It's the only place I can afford".  
  
The apartment was cold and dark. Lex found the switch and tried to switch light on, but it was no use. He watched closely as Chloe found some candles and lightened them one by one.  
  
"Why?" Lex asked and walked over to her.  
  
She sighed deeply. "The electricity is gone", she said. "I didn't pay the bills in time".  
  
Chloe couldn't believe what she had just told him. Now he probably thought she was so broke she couldn't afford anything to eat. He seemed uncomfortable, almost disgusted as he explored the place. His eyes wandered slowly across the room and after a moment they landed on her.  
  
"We have to get some ice for your ankle", he said worried. "Where's your freezer?"  
  
"I don't have a freezer anymore remember", she said gently.  
  
He nodded his head and smiled uncomfortably. "Oh, I almost forgot".  
  
Chloe inhaled deeply and fell onto the couch. She motioned him to sit down beside her, but he shook his head.  
  
"Where can I find ice then?" he asked rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
Chloe laughed quietly. "Next door. Just tell Mrs. Thompson that it's for me".  
  
Lex made his way to the door, but on the way he knocked over a glass of water. He nervously picked it up and placed it back on the table. Then he smiled wryly and walked quickly out of the apartment.  
  
Five minutes later he stormed through the door with a serious look on his face.  
  
He sat down beside her and took her leg in his lap. Placing the ice bag on her ankle, he breathed deeply. Chloe studied his face closely as, he gazed through her apartment. What had happened when he was out to get the ice? When he came back in he looked so serious, almost angry. She wanted to ask him ,but figured it was best she didn't.  
  
"What about you family? Your parents? Can't they help you? I mean with payments and all", he suddenly asked breaking the uncomfortable silence.  
  
Chloe looked away from his face. "I don't want them too", she said quietly. "I want to be able do what I want for myself, without their help and their money. Since I was little girl I always asked them, but now I want to do different. I want to be able to say that everything I have and own, comes from me and me only".  
  
"But you're miserable". He stated.  
  
"How do you know that?" Chloe asked.  
  
"I can see it", he exclaimed. "How can anyone be happy, living in such a horrible place like this, where they think killing is a cool thing? How can anyone be happy by working at a lousy cafe with a stupid boss ordering you around all day long? How can anyone be happy by having no contact with the rest of the world?" he finished.  
  
Chloe could feel tears sneaking up in the corners her eyes. He was right about everything. He was right about her apartment, her job and even her contact with the rest of the word, which were none. He had summed it all up, and the amazing part was that they hadn't even known each other for a whole day. Yes she was miserable, but she wasn't about to admit it. Not now and not ever.  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about", she said raising her voice.  
  
He watched her. "Why are you crying then?"  
  
Chloe quickly wiped her tears away. She hadn't even noticed them fall.  
  
"Please go", she almost pleaded. "I want to be alone".  
  
Lex reached for her face and stroke his fingers gently across her cheek, wiping away new tears that had fallen. With his other hand he pulled out a card with his phone number and address.  
  
"If you need someone to talk to…please pick up the phone and call me", he said mildly as he rose from the couch and made his way to the door. Before walking out, he turned slowly and watched this vulnerable girl who he wanted to wrap his arms around so badly and comfort. With a sigh, he stepped out and let the door shut gently behind him. 


End file.
